Selina Matenga-Napa (born 17 October 1964) is a

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , langu ...

politician and former member of the Cook Islands Parliament. She is a member of the Cook Islands Democratic Party. She is the daughter of former MP Dr Teariki Matenga.

Early life and sporting career

Napa was born on

Mangaia Mangaia (traditionally known as A'ua'u Enua, which means ''terraced'') is the most southerly of the Cook Islands and the second largest, after Rarotonga. It is a roughly circular island, with an area of , from Rarotonga. Originally heavily popula ...

and educated at Titikaveka School and

Tereora College Tereora College is a secondary school in Nikao, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. It is the oldest secondary school in the Cook Islands and the national college of the Cook Islands for Year 9-13 students. The school was first established in 1895 by the ...

. She has a long involvement in

Netball Netball is a ball sport played on a court by two teams of seven players. It is among a rare number of sports which have been created exclusively for female competitors. The sport is played on indoor and outdoor netball courts and is specifical ...

, playing at a village level as a child before being part of the

Cook Islands national netball team The Cook Islands national netball team represent the Cook Islands in international netball. In recent years they have finished 1st at the 2019 Pacific Games, 1st at the 2018 Nations Cup in Singapore, 10th at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 7th at t ...

at the

1981 South Pacific Mini Games The 1981 South Pacific Mini Games were held at Honiara in the Solomon Islands from 8–16 July 1981. It was the first edition of the South Pacific Mini Games. Participating countries Fifteen Pacific nations participated in the Games: Sports Fiv ...

. She played for the Cook Islands throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including at the

1987 World Netball Championships The 1987 World Netball Championships was the seventh edition of the INF Netball World Cup held in Glasgow, Scotland. This quadrennial premier event in international netball featured 17 teams, and included the debut of Cook Islands. The format of ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, and the

1989 World Games The 1989 World Games (german: 1989 Weltspiele), commonly known as Karlsruhe 1989, were the third edition of the World Games, an international multi-sport event held in Karlsruhe, West Germany. Titles 112 titles were awarded in 19 sports (5 invi ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. Eventually she rose to be team captain. She later played for and coached the Titikaveka Pearls, and was part of the selection panel for the

Cook Islands women's national cricket team The Cook Islands women's national cricket team represents the Cook Islands, an associated state of New Zealand, in international women's cricket. It is organised by the sport's governing body in the country, the Cook Islands Cricket Associatio ...

Political career

Napa worked for the Business Trade and Investment board, and then as campaign manager for Titikaveka MP

Robert Wigmore Robert George Wigmore (8 September 1949 – 13 April 2012) was leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party from 2010 - 2012, and Deputy Prime Minister of the Cook Islands from 2009 - 2010. He served as a Minister in the Cabinets of Robert ...

for four election campaigns. She was later an administrator and spokesperson for the Democratic Party. Following Wigmore's death she was elected to Parliament in the 2012 Titikaveka by-election, which was also contested by her brother. In April 2013 she attended the inaugural Pacific Parliamentary Forum in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by m ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

. Napa was re-elected in the 2014 election. In 2015, she was appointed opposition spokesperson for Environment, Telecommunications, Tourism, and Youth and Sport. In 2016, she was part of the Cook Islands' delegation to the second Pacific Parliamentary Forum. She was re-elected again at the

2018 election The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2018. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world. Africa *2018 Djiboutian parliamentary election 23 February 2018 *2018 Sierra Leonean general elect ...

. In December 2019 she was part of a protest by women MPs to permit the wearing of ei katu (floral crowns) in Parliament. In February 2020 she was appointed Democratic Party spokesperson for Health, Environment, Justice, and the Trade and Investment Board. She lost her seat in the

2022 Cook Islands general election General elections were held in the Cook Islands on 1 August 2022. A referendum on legalising medical cannabis was held on the same day. Background In the 2018 general election, the Democratic Party won a plurality with 11 seats but fell shor ...

Honours

Napa was awarded an MBE for services to sport, youth and the community in the

2007 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2007 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napa, Selina Living people 1964 births category:People from Mangaia Members of the Parliament of the Cook Islands Democratic Party (Cook Islands) politicians Cook Island women in politics 21st-century New Zealand women politicians 21st-century New Zealand politicians Netball in the Cook Islands Cook Island netball players Members of the Order of the British Empire